On a New England crisp night when stars pop from the skyscape like alien spacecraft, one might be forgiven for an open-mouth doubletake on an unexpectedly close encounter of a very different kind. A big gray ET? Well, the color’s right. And the eyes look fairly Roswellian.
Seal Blocks the Lieutenant Island Causeway
Bouncing over the tinkertoy bridge, the jeep’s headlights captured a strange shape guarding the causeway approach to Lieutenant Island. Colors blending perfectly against mottled gray asphalt dotted with splattered shellfish dropped by Wellfleet’s too smart sea gulls, a harp seal spanned the roadway. Had she not raised her head as the car approached, it would have been a close call whether or not she could have been spotted in time.
Soaking Up Radiational Heating from Asphalt Causeway
Obviously well nourished, she probably slipped onto the asphalt causeway to soak up the remnants of a sunny day’s heat buildup, because radiational cooling under a dry, cloudless sky had begun to drive temperatures below freezing. And she wasn’t about to surrender her heating blanket without a protest.
Tire Tracks Bisecting Causeway Where Seal Lies
But with tire tracks bisecting her body, prudence called for her to skedaddle. So, despite her barking protests, I escorted this fair maiden into the abutting salt marsh, looking over my shoulder every few minutes to be sure no strange blinking lights appeared overhead.
